More than half of UK shop workers are now abused or attacked every week, up from a third two years ago, according to new research from the Retail Trust, which is launching a UK-wide drive urging shoppers to show greater kindness and respect ahead of the Christmas trading period.
The charity’s annual survey of 1,138 shop workers, carried out for its Let’s Respect Retail campaign, found that 79% had faced an abusive or violent situation in the past year, compared with 77% in 2025. More than half (54%) are now targeted weekly, up from 43% last year and 33% in 2024.
The increase has been accompanied by a sharp rise in unwanted filming. The proportion of shop staff who said they or a colleague had been filmed without consent on mobile phones or smart glasses rose from 30% to 38% in a year, while almost one in four (23%) said they had experienced abuse involving a physical attack, such as being kicked or hit, a figure unchanged on the previous twelve months.
Shoplifting, Stress and Staff Retention
The survey also found that 84% of shop workers had witnessed shoplifting in the past year, and more than a third (35%) witness it every day. Among those affected by abuse, 70% feel stressed or anxious about going to work, 36% feel unsafe at work and 21% feel unsafe travelling to or from their workplace.
Almost half (48%) said the worsening abuse had made them want to quit their job or leave the retail industry altogether, up from 43% in 2025. More than two-thirds (68%) believe dealing with abusive customers has become part of their job, and 80% feel they are now expected to put up with rudeness and disrespect.
A separate poll of shoppers by research firm Early Studies for the Retail Trust found that 36% think their friends or family would avoid returning to a shop where they had witnessed staff being abused.
Shop Workers Describe the Impact
Benedict, 45, owns two shops in south London, including a town centre store that opened ten years ago.
Jo, 62, is a team leader at a convenience store in Northumberland.
Charlie, 23, works for a discount retailer in Shropshire, where a video of him dealing with an angry customer was shared on a local community Facebook page.
A Call to Start With Hello
The research also found that 83% of retail employees say just one positive interaction with a customer during a shift can help them recover from a negative experience.
The Let’s Respect Retail campaign launched on Monday 9 November as part of a dedicated week of action to protect retail workers from abuse and violence, with the Retail Trust running activity across the UK alongside the Association of Convenience Stores, shopworkers’ union Usdaw and the National Business Crime Centre.
Calls for shoppers to ‘start with hello’ will appear in thousands of stores, shop windows, cinemas and shopping centres across the UK, encouraging customers to begin every interaction with a shop worker with a positive greeting. Screens at major rail stations and Heathrow Airport will carry the message throughout November, and an advert telling audiences ‘one small word can change a whole moment’ will be shown in cinemas nationwide.
Jane, 60, a garden centre worker from Hertfordshire, is among those backing the campaign.
Benedict also described the effect of supportive customers on staff morale.
Employees at some of the country’s biggest retailers and shopping centres, including Next, Bluewater and Liverpool ONE, are also being given more support by the Retail Trust to help them respond to and deal with abusive incidents.
Industry and Political Support
Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, said the charity was calling for a turnaround in behaviour.
The British Retail Consortium is supporting the campaign, as is Theo Paphitis, whose retail businesses include Ryman, Robert Dyas, Boux Avenue and London Graphic Centre.
Sainsbury’s recently became the largest grocer to back Let’s Respect Retail.
The campaign has also been backed by Chris Evans MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Customer Service, and by Merseyside Police.
Other retailers supporting the campaign include EE, Next, Currys, FatFace, Holland & Barrett and The Perfume Shop.
Others supporting Let’s Respect Retail include Foot Anstey, Manhattan Associates, Maze, Reveal Media, Sensormatic, Usdaw, VoCoVo, Worldpay and Zebra Technologies. The campaign follows the Retail Trust’s Smiles of Respect campaign, which it launched nationwide in November last year.
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